Sean Doherty - U.S. Olympic Biathlete

Sean and his family grew up skiing here at Great Glen Trails. At the age of 12 a friend introduced him to the sport of Biathlon and he quickly excelled. In 2013 just five years after his first race/training at the Pemi Valley Fish & Game Club in Holderness, NH he became the first athlete in U.S. biathlon history to win three individual medals in world championships competition, doing so at the 2013 Junior World Championships in Obertilliach, Austria. He then competed in his first world cup at the end of that season before joining the world cup circuit for 2013-14. He is also the youngest U.S. athlete ever to compete in the Olympic Winter Games for biathlon in Sochi, Russia 2014. He continues to race on the World Cup circuit as a very young and accomplished Biathlete.

What is Biathlon? It combines the heart pounding racing of skate skiing at distances ranging between 10km and 20km depending on the type of race, with the precision of shooting at 5 targets the size of Oreo’s – 50 meters away. The 8 pound rifle is carried on the skiers back during the entire race. They enter the range two or four times shooting prone (laying down) then standing. Each time a target is missed they must ski a penalty loop adding 20-30 seconds to their overall time. Sometimes they carry extra ammunition and have extra chances at the target.